August 04, 2008	Monday	Sha'aban 1 429

BIRMINGHAM (England), Aug 3: Graeme Smith plundered a fighting 154 not out to lead his South Africa team to a five-wicket victory over England that clinched the Test series at Edgbaston on Saturday.

South Africa, set 281 to win the third Test and with it the four-match series after they went 1-0 up at Headingley, reached 283 for five in fading light on day four after the pendulum had swung both ways.

Mark Boucher hit 45 in a crucial stand of 112 with his skipper.

The Proteas claimed their first series win in England since 1965, though they did not play international cricket from 1970 to 1991 because of the country’s isolation. They surrendered series leads in 1994, 1998 and 2003.

England had gone six years without losing a Test series at home until India won in 2007 and now they have lost their second at home in the last three.

Captain Smith was a doubt coming in to the match because of a back injury but elected to play with pain-killing tablets to ease his discomfort. His 16th Test century, scored in 246 balls, and fourth against England steered his team home.

South Africa started brightly when reaching 65 for no loss but they slumped to 93 for four.

A.B. de Villiers’ stand of 78 with Smith settled his team’s nerves as they closed on their target. He was eventually caught at slip off spinner Monty Panesar for 27.

Smith batted fluently throughout, though he did enjoy moments of fortune. When on 74, he played no stroke to a ball from Panesar that turned square and would have hit middle stump but umpire Aleem Dar saved him.

On 79 he should have been run out when Ian Bell, standing over the wickets, failed to catch a throw bounced in from wicket-keeper Tim Ambrose. Smith was yards short.

His luck continued when on 85. Replays suggested he got a deflection off his glove from Panesar to Ambrose, but half-hearted appeals from England failed to convince Aleem Dar to send him to the pavilion.

Next ball Smith chose to be more aggressive and swept towards the midwicket boundary where James Anderson was fielding, but the ball bounced once before it reached him.

Smith said his match-winning knock was the best of his 16 Test hundreds.

“This victory is bigger than just us, so therefore I would have to say that it is my best,” said Smith.

Smith’s innings of almost six hours, made after he took pain-killing tablets for a back injury, guided his tam through a tense period when they slumped from 65 for none to 93 for four.

“I’ve got some really meaningful innings in my life, like the double hundreds here at this ground and at Lord’s in 2003 – they have got to go down as some of my greatest achievements.

“But so many [South Africa] teams have come here since readmission and strived for victories so there are so many people back home who I’d like to have shared this with tonight.”

Scoreboard

ENGLAND (1st Innings) 231 (A.N. Cook 76, I.R. Bell 50).

SOUTH AFRICA (1st Innings) 314 (N.D. McKenzie 72, J.H. Kallis 64; A. Flintoff 4-89).

ENGLAND (2nd Innings) 363 (P.D. Collingwood 135, K.P. Pietersen 94; M. Morkel 4-97).

SOUTH AFRICA (2nd Innings):

G.C. Smith not out 154

N.D. McKenzie lbw b Flintoff 22

H.M. Amla lbw b Panesar 6

J.J. Kallis lbw b Flintoff 5

A.G. Prince c Ambrose b Anderson 2

A.B. de Villiers c Collingwood b Panesar 27

M.V. Boucher not out 45

EXTRAS (B-9, LB-9, W-2, NB-2) 22

TOTAL (for five wkts, 80 overs) 283

FALL OF WKTS: 1-65, 2-78, 3-83, 4-93 5-171.

BOWLING: Sidebottom 10-1-26-0; Anderson 13-0-60-1 (2w); Panesar 33-3-91-2; Flintoff 20-5-72-2; Pietersen 4-0-16-0; Pietersen 4-0-16-0.

RESULT: South Africa won by five wickets.

UMPIRES: Aleem Dar (Pakistan) and S.J. Davis (Australia).

TV UMPIRE: I.J. Gould (England).

MATCH REFEREE: R.S. Madugalle (Sri Lanka).

MAN-OF-THE-MATCH: Graeme Smith.

FIRST TEST: Lord’s, match drawn.

SECOND TEST: Headingley, South Africa won by 10 wickets.

FOURTH TEST: The Oval, Aug 7-11.

—Reuters